MCP Servers Guide: Connect Claude Code to GitHub, Databases & More

December 15, 20259 min read

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is what transforms Claude Code from a coding assistant into a powerful automation platform. This guide shows you how to connect Claude to GitHub, databases, messaging apps, and build your own custom integrations.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard created by Anthropic that allows AI models to interact with external tools and data sources. Think of MCP servers as plugins that give Claude new capabilities—reading from databases, creating GitHub issues, sending Slack messages, and more.

How MCP Works

MCP Server — A small program that exposes tools (functions) and resources (data) to Claude.

Claude Code — Discovers available tools from MCP servers and can invoke them during conversations.

External Service — The actual API or database the MCP server connects to (GitHub, PostgreSQL, etc.).

The beauty of MCP is that Claude doesn't need to know the implementation details. It just sees available tools like "create_github_issue" or "query_database" and uses them naturally in conversation.

Setting Up MCP Servers

MCP servers are configured in your Claude Code settings file at ~/.claude/settings.json. Here's how to add them:

Basic Configuration Structure

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "server-name": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-name"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Each server has a command to run, arguments, and optional environment variables.

You can also configure MCP servers interactively by running /mcpin Claude Code, which provides a guided setup experience.

GitHub MCP Server

The GitHub MCP server is essential for developers. It lets Claude create issues, open pull requests, review code, manage repos, and more—all through natural conversation.

Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_TOKEN": "ghp_your_personal_access_token"
      }
    }
  }
}

Create a GitHub Personal Access Token at github.com/settings/tokens with repo and issue permissions.

Available Tools

create_issue — Open new issues with labels and assignees
create_pull_request — Open PRs with title, body, and target branch
list_issues — Query open issues by labels, state, or assignee
get_file_contents — Read files directly from GitHub repos
search_code — Search across repositories for code patterns

Example prompt: "Create an issue titled 'Add dark mode support' in the frontend repo with the labels 'enhancement' and 'ui'"

Database MCP Servers

Database MCP servers let Claude query and analyze your data directly. This is incredibly powerful for data exploration, generating reports, and building features that interact with your database.

PostgreSQL

{
  "postgres": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y",
      "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres",
      "postgresql://user:pass@host/db"
    ]
  }
}

SQLite

{
  "sqlite": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y",
      "@modelcontextprotocol/server-sqlite",
      "./database.db"
    ]
  }
}

Example prompt: "Show me the top 10 users by total purchases this month, and create a summary report"

Security Warning

Never use production database credentials in MCP servers. Create read-only users with limited permissions. MCP servers can execute any query Claude decides to run.

Communication MCP Servers

Connect Claude to your team's communication tools to automate notifications, summaries, and updates.

Slack MCP Server

Send messages, read channels, and interact with Slack workspaces through Claude.

{
  "slack": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-slack"],
    "env": {
      "SLACK_BOT_TOKEN": "xoxb-your-bot-token"
    }
  }
}

Use Cases

• Post deployment notifications to #releases channel
• Summarize discussion threads for documentation
• Create standup reports from channel activity
• Send alerts when builds fail or tests break

Filesystem & Web MCP Servers

Extend Claude's ability to work with files and fetch web content with these utility servers.

Filesystem

Enhanced file operations with watch capabilities, glob patterns, and batch processing.

• Watch files for changes
• Batch rename operations
• Complex glob searches

Fetch

Make HTTP requests and fetch web content for analysis and integration.

• Scrape documentation
• Call external APIs
• Download and analyze files

Building Custom MCP Servers

Need an integration that doesn't exist? Building custom MCP servers is straightforward with the official SDKs available in Python, TypeScript, and other languages.

Simple TypeScript MCP Server

import { Server } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server";
import { StdioServerTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/stdio";

const server = new Server({
  name: "my-custom-server",
  version: "1.0.0"
});

server.setRequestHandler("tools/list", async () => ({
  tools: [{
    name: "my_custom_tool",
    description: "Does something useful",
    inputSchema: {
      type: "object",
      properties: {
        input: { type: "string" }
      }
    }
  }]
}));

server.setRequestHandler("tools/call", async (request) => {
  // Implement your tool logic here
  return { content: [{ type: "text", text: "Result" }] };
});

const transport = new StdioServerTransport();
await server.connect(transport);

Custom Server Ideas

Jira/Linear Integration — Create tickets, update status, link to PRs
CI/CD Server — Trigger builds, check pipeline status, deploy
Monitoring Server — Query Datadog, PagerDuty, or custom metrics
Cloud Provider — Manage AWS, GCP, or Azure resources

Track Your MCP-Enhanced Workflow

As you integrate more MCP servers, your Claude Code usage becomes increasingly powerful. Track how these integrations boost your productivity with Viberank's analytics.

See your Claude Code stats and join the leaderboard

$npx viberank

Upload your cc.json and compare your usage with other developers